T/C Trouble's

[Bassdog1]

Awesome!

 

[Grenadier1758]

Well @Bigpete, it's great to hear that our random thoughts helped you to have successful results.

 

[Critter Getter]

And did the hammer blowback problem disappear? Glad it’s working for you now ! Greg

 

[RUDY MR]

Just recently bought a .36 T/C Hawken,and I'm having the devils own trouble getting it to shoot good groups. I've only got access to Wano 2f,and I'm using home cast Lyman .350 round ball. To get it to shoot any good at all I'm having to use 70gn of 2f and a 20 thou patch,but that's blowing the hammer back to half cock and is a real pain in the butt to load after 2 shots. 35gn of 2f just will not shoot at all,we're talking 4 or 5 inch groups at 25m. I don't have ready access to myriads of different powders and projectiles like you guys in the USA do,so I'm adamant to make it work. My next try I'll be using a flask that measures 21gn per load,and trying some 3mm thick leather wads between the powder and ball,as doing that has helped in the past. Does anyone else have one of these rifles,and if so,what load do you use and did you have heaps of trouble like I seem to be ? I'm not new to this,my 2 .50 cals will shoot 1½ to 2" at 50m when I'm shooting well,I even get my 12g Grundmann shotgun to shoot reasonably well at 25m,so I'm really perplexed as to why this 36 cal is giving me trouble. Help please !

Way to much powder 36 cal no more then 40 gr of 3 fffg most likely a 30 gr load would be right

 

[flntlokr]

At this point in time I've not been able to find any patches,although I suspect they're not being burnt through as the same material works fine in my 50s. Still,it would be good to find one or 2 for confirmation. When I've used them before it was under a lee minie so no patches to worry about.

if you can't find any patches, or the remains thereof, they are probably getting blown to shreds; thus unfindable and thus the random groups. Get a bunch of fabric samples and try them. I use unbleached cotton 'duck' about.013 thick in my rifles (.45 and .58 cal) with -.010 ball. The 'duck' refers to a style of weave, I think, which stays together very well. Pillow tick and denim are similarly woven, and equally tough. I use a detergent + water lube, and could probably re-use my patches.

 

[Bigpete]

if you can't find any patches, or the remains thereof, they are probably getting blown to shreds; thus unfindable and thus the random groups. Get a bunch of fabric samples and try them. I use unbleached cotton 'duck' about.013 thick in my rifles (.45 and .58 cal) with -.010 ball. The 'duck' refers to a style of weave, I think, which stays together very well. Pillow tick and denim are similarly woven, and equally tough. I use a detergent + water lube, and could probably re-use my patches.

I can't find them coz they're khaki patches being shot over longish dry grass

 

[Bigpete]

Way to much powder 36 cal no more then 40 gr of 3 fffg most likely a 30 gr load would be right

Another person who hasn't read things properly

 

[Bigpete]

Well @Bigpete, it's great to hear that our random thoughts helped you to have successful results.

To be honest not one person suggested the problem might have been it just didn't like round ball. But there were a couple of useful bits of info to be had .

 

[Bigpete]

And did the hammer blowback problem disappear? Glad it’s working for you now ! Greg

It has but to be fair i haven't loaded it up with any more than 40gn of powder since the original trials,and I don't really know for certain if it was happening anyway with lighter charges. I do know one thing......it hits hard....I actually shot 2 rabbits but the second one was not very photogenic ( basically became a paddock pancake ). What was photogenic was this young Wedgetail Eagle struggling in the wind about 15m away....

 

[Nor'Easter]

To be honest not one person suggested the problem might have been it just didn't like round ball. But there were a couple of useful bits of info to be had .

I think no one said that because a 1:48 twist .36 cal is definately not too fast a twist for a round ball and would not normally be considered a conical barrel. The 1:20 twist .50 cal White Mountain Carbine was a bullet and not round ball barrel for sure. I read a good article once, I think by Sam Fadala, about small game / small calibre muzzleloaders. His experience was that in .32 & .36 the 1:48 was too slow for optimum use with light powder charges. He found it took around 30 grain charges for good accuracy, which is really too powerfull for small game, ie squirrels & rabbits. He liked the Thompson Center Cherokee's .32 cal with its faster twist (around 1:36 I think) for light charges of 10-15gr. That is still like .22LR high velocity hollow point destruction. It would be interesting to know for certain what the twist is in your barrel, and if you had a micrometer what the rifling depth is. That would be the only reason I can think of for why its shooting conicals better than round ball.

And the eagle is too cool. Australia?

 

[Bigpete]

I think no one said that because a 1:48 twist .36 cal is definately not too fast a twist for a round ball and would not normally be considered a conical barrel. The 1:20 twist .50 cal White Mountain Carbine was a bullet and not round ball barrel for sure. I read a good article once, I think by Sam Fadala, about small game / small calibre muzzleloaders. His experience was that in .32 & .36 the 1:48 was too slow for optimum use with light powder charges. He found it took around 30 grain charges for good accuracy, which is really too powerfull for small game, ie squirrels & rabbits. He liked the Thompson Center Cherokee's .32 cal with its faster twist (around 1:36 I think) for light charges of 10-15gr. That is still like .22LR high velocity hollow point destruction. It would be interesting to know for certain what the twist is in your barrel, and if you had a micrometer what the rifling depth is. That would be the only reason I can think of for why its shooting conicals better than round ball.

And the eagle is too cool. Australia?

Yeah Australia mate. Hence why admonitions to use xxx type of powder or xxx patch material is not very useful

 

[Nor'Easter]

Yeah Australia mate. Hence why admonitions to use xxx type of powder or xxx patch material is not very useful

Yeah, I thought I recognized the landscape from your pictures. Notice stuff like that when you are raised in a state that is 90% forested. Pulled into Fremantle 2-3 times in the late 1980's to early 1990's. One trip the Australian Navy Welfare and Rec Department took some of us out camping in the "outback", probably one of the state parks east of Frementle. IIRC, it was only like a 4-5 hour drive, so couldn't have been too far. Liked it alot! I taught technicians maintenance / repair for a NATO radar system for a couple of years. Had quite a few Australian Navy guys go through. Always enjoyed those guys ----- when they weren't getting me in trouble. Never go drinking with the Ausie's, and never let them talk you into buying!

 

[Bigpete]

Some pretty impressive numbers there. If they're true I'm getting basically 357 magnum pistol performance from my load,which explains the demolished bunny,and will work fine on feral goats I should think.

 

[Nor'Easter]

Some pretty impressive numbers there. If they're true I'm getting basically 357 magnum pistol performance from my load,which explains the demolished bunny,and will work fine on feral goats I should think.

Yup, those loads are definately going to leave small-game hamburger! Is there a limited season on feral goats, is it open year round?

 

[Bigpete]

Yup, those loads are definately going to leave small-game hamburger! Is there a limited season on feral goats, is it open year round?

There's no season on anything in my state,least of all goats. But there is a good meat market for them so most farmers try to catch them live to sell. Luckily where I'm going its too steep and thick to do that
Here's one I shot last weekend with an unmentionable

 

[Bigpete]

50m offhand shot to the head....I think this gun shoots now....

 

[Bigpete]

Just knocked over a nice eating goat

 

[Bigpete]

This is the sort of terrain I'm hunting in.

 

[FishDFly]

Nope, to old for that.

 

[Bassdog1]

I would be a goat shooting and eating fool.